While United have considerable money and ambition behind them, they have not enjoyed as much success as City of late.

And while Pep Guardiola is also given considerable financial backing from his club, City have preferred to spend it on the right player, often favouring top youngsters as well instead of always chasing the big names that United do.

De Jong would be another example of that, and in truth he seems an ideal fit for the way Guardiola gets his teams to play.